


Boomerang

by sweetiejelly



Category: As the World Turns
Genre: Angsty Schmoop, Future Fic, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-08-12
Updated: 2012-08-12
Packaged: 2017-11-12 00:57:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,677
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/484840
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sweetiejelly/pseuds/sweetiejelly
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Luke tried to throw him, but he should have known. Noah's a boomerang.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Boomerang

**Author's Note:**

> Written belatedly for miss_smp for her request of a Nuke reunion fic. Sorry this is a bit late but hope it's okay. Happy, happy belated birthday, dear Steph! <3
> 
> Cross-posted to [LJ](http://sweetiejelly.livejournal.com/173053.html).

It was an artsy film, something foreign with subtitles. Luke didn't remember why he insisted on taking Noah to see it. He did remember there was very little dialogue, just minutes of footsteps and people gazing off contemplatively, windows and doors slamming, wrappers around food stuff rustling, the color of the sun changing with time.

There was a kid with a camera. He kept taking pictures of the back of people's heads. When asked, he said it was because we can't see the back of our own heads. For some reason, that's the thing that stuck with Luke, instead of the plot, whatever that was.

Luke took a picture of the back of Noah's head that night as a joke. "Now you don't have to wonder." (He also took a picture of Noah's ass; that led to a whole 'nother conversation in a whole 'nother room.)

Luke supposed he never did delete those pictures. Now for a straight week, he had been noticing the heads of people around town, how quite a few reminded him of Noah’s. How they made him smile. But then the smiles turned sad. None of them _were_ Noah, were they? None of them were exactly right.

~~

Oh, the price of gas was ridiculous, and once in a while it got even more so. It was why Noah carpooled. Or, at least it was partly why. If there was also this actor Dave who sort of looked like Luke when you squinted at him in profile, then well, Noah didn't mind.

It was only when Dave opened his mouth or turned to face him that Noah's heart dropped a little.

Just a little, every time. Like leaning back in a chair. Exhaling. _Oh_.

~~

There was the sound of chewing, something crunchy. Popcorn or chips. Possibly almonds. Soothing in the way it reminded Luke of leaning against his mother at dinner.

There was the smell of fresh laundry, the softener like a blanket warm around him.

They were moving. Luke wanted to say it felt like flying on a magic carpet, or riding in an elevator without doors, maybe chugging along on a merry-go-around.

He turned to look at his companion in mid-flight: Noah. He was grinning – one of his goofy grins that he had when he was really happy, really relaxed. Luke smiled back, his face a little plastic with dreaming. Then, _Pow!_ , like a panel from a comic book, Noah fell out of the sky.

Luke looked down. Noah was lying on the street, next to a train track, his arms and legs splayed in a ridiculous pose, dead.

_No. No. No._

Luke woke up in cold sweat.

~~

Noah fumbled for his phone in the dark. For a moment, he thought he went blind again, but then a car rolled by, flashing geometric shapes across his room. He looked at the caller ID and punched the talk button so fast his finger stung.

“Luke! What happened? What’s wrong?”

Ragged breathing filled his ear. Noah looked at his alarm clock: 2:01 a.m. “Are you okay?” He asked again.

“I’m,” Luke croaked, sounding half asleep himself, “sorry, I didn’t mean to –” he sighed. “Promise me you’ll drive safe.”

Noah rubbed at his eyes, thoroughly confused. “I… okay. I promise. Did someone get in an accident? Are you sure you’re all right?”

Luke just breathed. “I’m okay.” He didn’t sound okay and Noah wanted to hold him through the phone. “I love you.”

That Noah didn’t expect. He opened his mouth to say it back but Luke had already hung up.

Noah didn’t go back to sleep, couldn’t. The next morning, ironically, he struggled to keep his eyes open as he drove in to the studio. He made sure he went slow though. He promised.

~~

Luke took off for a hike on Valentine’s Day because he needed to get away from all the couples and the heart-shaped balloons and flowers and all the rest of it. He wanted a little quiet, a little space to think. Or not think. He turned off his cell phone.

He took a notebook with him, in case inspiration struck. But so far all he had done was munch on the granola bars he brought and emptied a bottle of water.

It was getting colder the higher up the trail he went, the later in the evening it got. Luke tugged his jacket around him and tried to keep moving. So he almost tripped over a mushroom earlier. He was not going to think about that.

He was not.

Stupid mushrooms.

Luke decided to stop for the night. This was as good a spot as any. He set up his tent and unrolled his sleeping bag. He didn’t expect to find the little note tucked in the roll – a blast from the past.

_Rome is on the other side of home.  
You’re on the inside of my heart.  
I don’t know how to make anything rhyme.  
I love you. I already miss you._

Stupid Noah.

~~

Dave, sort-of-looks-like-Luke Dave, asked Noah out. Except Noah didn’t _know_.

 _Let’s go to this awesome sushi place_ somehow led to an impromptu viewing of a new action flick, which somehow led them to this. This being Dave framing Noah’s face and kissing him.

Noah froze. The last person he kissed was Luke. The last time he kissed Luke was too long ago.

“Dave, I –” Noah pulled away gently. Dave’s lips were soft and it was nice, like kissing Maddie was nice. It was just… not Luke.

Noah called Luke when he got home. He didn’t even know what he was going to say. He was still pacing when he heard Luke’s phone go to voicemail.

Just as well.

Noah hung up and spent a while clicking around online, stalking Luke’s Facebook and then his Twitter.

_roses are red (and pink and yellow) / i’ve got my gears (and hey, marshmallows!) later guys. gone camping._

Noah smiled. He could just imagine Luke with his s’mores. He could imagine it all so well.

~~

Luke turned his phone back on. The silence was killing him. He was thinking too much – about all the men who were in his life, about his life. He was cold and yet he wasn’t numb enough.

He looked at the screen. Two missed calls. One was his dad checking in. One was Noah.

Luke wondered what that was about. Noah hardly ever called. They have been texting, mostly, innocent, friendly messages. Did Noah get wasted and drunk dial him? Did Noah mean to call someone else and punched his number by mistake? Was Noah in trouble?

Luke never did well with suspense. He called back.

The ringing went on and on, endless it felt.

~~

“Hello?” Noah clutched the towel around his hips and shook water from his hair. It was a miracle that he even got to his phone in time.

“Hey. It’s me. Luke.”

Noah had to smile. He could pick out Luke’s voice even if he were drowning, even if he went half deaf. “Luke. What’s up? How’s camping?” Noah bit his lip hard. He didn’t mean for Luke to know that he internet-stalked him.

“It’s – great. I was actually wondering how you’re doing. You called?”

“Right, I did.” Noah bit his lip again. “Um, it wasn’t anything really. It’s– it’s stupid.”

Luke didn’t say anything, just waited him out the way he knew would work.

“It’s just – you know Dave?”

“The guy you carpool with? What did he do? Texted while driving? Cause I could send him a strongly worded email, if you need me to.”

“I’m sure you could,” Noah tried not to smile. He knew how Luke’s emails could go. They could go for pages. “But that’s not… he kissed me.”

Luke didn’t say anything and Noah watched as water dripped down his chest in the reflection of the mirror. It was all turning a little cold.

“Oh,” Luke finally said. “That’s…”

“I – I didn’t kiss him back. I just – like I said, it’s stupid. I shouldn’t have called.”

“Noah,” Luke sounded composed, of all things, which hurt more than anything. “It’s fine. We’re friends, right? You can talk to me.”

Noah thought about the word ‘friends.’ He never had many of those. Luke was always more though. To Noah, at least, they were always more. “Luke…”

“I miss him, you know? Sometimes I look at a sandwich and I can’t eat it because it hurts. I have been taking the long way about around town, so I can avoid the train track at all cost. I see a white coat and for a moment I think he’s going to turn around. I’m a mess, Noah. I don’t expect you to wait around for me.”

Noah didn’t know what to say to that.

After a while, Luke hung up.

~~

Luke wiped away his tears. They were stupid and didn’t resolve anything. He deliberately stopped himself from saying how much he missed _Noah_ , missed his stupid face, his stupid laugh, his stupid arms holding him stupid tight.

So Dave kissed him. Luke didn’t want to be the jealous ex who stopped Noah from getting on with his life. One of them had to. Get on with their lives, that is.

Luke tore open the marshmallow bag. It was way past time for s’mores.

He fell asleep with the notebook cradled to his chest, words slanted across its pages like dominoes, one building up to the next.

~~

Noah went to bed with his hair wet. The water must have seeped into his brain, made him numb.

He dreamed of nothing but Luke. Sometimes Luke was eating a sandwich, normal as can be. Sometimes Luke was kissing his doctor, all hands and lips.

Noah patched things up with Dave. They could be friends in a way he couldn’t be friends with Luke.

~~

Luke knew the day would come. Noah’s grant-funded film was done and the day of the premiere was drawing near. There was a small announcement about it that Ameera had linked to from her Twitter.

Holden brought them tickets. “Are you excited?”

Luke’s face said it all.

“It’s your choice,” Holden squeezed his shoulder. “If you want to talk about it, you know I’m here.”

“I’m proud of him,” Luke confessed, “but I’m not sure I want to be there.”

“Okay,” Holden gave him his ticket anyway. “Hold on to that in case you change your mind.”

~~

Noah felt like he was going to vomit. He thought about his father, and that didn’t help. Once upon his childhood dreams, he had thought the Colonel would be here and maybe finally understand. But of course not.

He thought about Luke and that didn’t help either. They had only spent so many nights dreaming about their lives together in L.A. Now, none of that had come to pass. They hadn’t even talked since that last time. Luke hadn’t Tweeted anything new either since that last rhyme.

Noah shook his head. He had to do this anyway. This was his life now.

~~

Luke saw him in the crowd, picked him out easily by the back of his head. It helped that Noah was tall.

Luke was pretty sure he also saw Dave. But that might have been because he was looking for him, for someone who looked like Noah’s date.

To be fair, maybe-Dave had only given Noah a hug and a couple of pats on the back. So far.

“We’re going to say hello,” Lily touched his arm, rubbing warmly. “You want to come?”

Luke thought about it. It might be nice to have his parents there as buffer. Or it might be terribly awkward. He shook his head. “You guys go ahead. I’ll catch up later.”

He didn’t stay to watch his parents’ reunion with Noah. Instead, Luke walked outside, leaned against the side of the building, and closed his eyes. Night had settled in snuggly. But it wasn’t cold. It was almost nice.

~~

Noah watched Luke, just looked at him for a while. It’s been a while.

Then it felt too much like stalking, real life stalking, and Noah cleared his throat.

“Hi.” The slow blink of Luke’s eyes was a lovely sight.

“Hi,” Noah leaned in and gave him a hug, which Luke returned, tight and warm and right. “Thanks for coming.”

“Yeah,” Luke pulled back but kept his hands on Noah’s elbows. “Wouldn’t miss it.”

They looked at each other, neither letting go. Noah wanted to hug Luke again, but it felt like the wrong time. He pulled away instead. “So, Holden told me you’ve been writing.”

Luke opened his mouth in surprise. He hadn’t told anyone he was writing. “Oh, it’s nothing. Just an idea I had – a script… thing,” he waved it off with his hands.

“Yeah? I’m sure it’s great,” Noah said in his too-earnest way that made Luke’s heart ache.

“You’re biased.” Luke elbowed him playfully.

Noah shrugged and said again, with that face of his, “I could be biased and your script could be great. They’re not mutually exclusive.” 

“No, but you could be biased and the script could suck. They’re not mutually exclusive either.”

“True,” Noah settled against the brick of the wall. “So, when do I get to read this sucky script of yours?”

“Shut up!” Luke laughed and pushed him without any heat. This felt almost normal, friend like, except for this ridiculous pull of heat between them. Luke didn’t know whether to take a step closer to Noah or to take a step away. “So um, how are – you and Dave?”

Noah cupped Luke’s cheek with a hand, running a thumb light along his jaw. “Luke, there’s no me and Dave.”

“Yeah?” Luke didn’t think he should feel happy about this. Noah was supposed to have moved on. Still, he was smiling and couldn’t seem to stop it. “I think I saw him in there. He was kind of cute.”

“That he is,” Noah said just to rile Luke up.

And it worked. Luke slid a hand over the back of Noah’s neck and tugged him down to a kiss. Luke wasn’t playing around. His lips were hot and insistent on Noah’s. _Remember me._

Noah melted into Luke’s touch. He always had. Luke’s hair crushed soft under his fingers. And they struggled to move closer, mouths opening, fitting together as their tongues tangled.

“Noah,” Luke broke off to say. “I’m proud of you. Your film – it’s amazing.”

“You’re biased, remember?” But Noah felt happiness blushing up his skin, covering him in its glow. He pressed his lips to Luke’s softly. _Thank you._

Luke circled his arms tighter around Noah. They turned, Noah maneuvering Luke up to rest against the wall. Luke wrapped a leg around Noah and almost stopped thinking as they deepened the kiss.

But one thought niggled at him and Luke had to know. He broke off again, rested his forehead against Noah’s. “So, you and Dave – you never wondered?”

“How could I?” Noah traced a thumb over Luke’s lips. “I’m in love with _you_.”

“Even when I said all those things to hurt you? About Reid?”

Noah tensed. He couldn’t help it.

“So you could move on?” Luke added in a small voice.

Noah kissed him hard, capturing Luke’s lip with his, almost crushingly hard. “Didn’t work.” He stroked his hands along Luke’s small of back and over Luke’s cheek.

“What, you’re like a boomerang?” Luke smiled, dimpled and breathtakingly beautiful.

“Stop throwing me,” Noah nipped at Luke’s lip before kissing it better. “It hurts.”

“I could throw you on a bed the next time,” Luke said by way of apology, smoothing his hands over Noah’s back.

“You can’t just _say_ these things, Luke,” Noah groaned as he hugged Luke close.

“I’m… not sorry?” Luke beamed up at him. He tugged on Noah’s lapels, “But seriously, Noah, I’ve really, _really_ missed you.”

“Same here,” Noah rested his cheek against Luke’s.

That was how Lily found them. She put a finger to her lips as Holden opened his mouth to ask. “He found him.”


End file.
